Author: Joshua Peach (Page 1 of 19)

New and Noteworthy is the City Tech Library OER Team’s monthly roundup of notable open educational resources. We try to include at least one open resource relevant to each school at City Tech in every post. At the end of the month, these resources will be compiled and distributed by the library liaison for your department. Please contact us if you know of new or particularly interesting OER to share with our colleagues or would like more information about open educational resources initiatives at City Tech.

Business: Fashion

• 21st Century Queer Fashion Brands: Oral History Project, by Kelly L. Reddy-Best; Dana Goodin; and Kyra Streck, Iowa State University (2020). License: CC BY-NC-ND
  “The purpose of this project is to document the history of each brand using the oral history method. We conducted oral histories with 24 brands with questions ranging from their own personal histories to how and why they started the brand. We are interested in the lives of the individuals who founded the brands in addition to the entire story of each brand from idea development to today so that way these stories can be documented as an important part of fashion and retail history.”
  
• Puerto Rican Bomba Fashion: An Oral History Project, by Amanda Ortiz-Pellot and Kelly L. Reddy-Best, Iowa State University (2024). License: CC BY-NC-ND
  “We interviewed contemporary Bomba practitioners to understand how they engage in meaning making in this practice rooted in significant cultural traditions. This resource is useful for individuals wanting to expand their knowledge on Puerto Rican history and culture and the connections between folkloric fashions in the past and present in the context of 21st century Puerto Rico.”

Computer Systems Technology

• Programming with Java, by Ashik Ahmed Bhuiyan, Ph.D. and Md Amiruzzaman, Ph.D., Pennsylvania Alliance for Design of Open Textbooks (2025). License: CC BY-NC
  “Programming with Java is a beginner-friendly eTextbook that introduces readers to the fundamentals of Java, one of the most widely used programming languages. It covers key concepts like syntax, data types, control structures, and object-oriented programming, offering clear explanations and practical examples. The chapters build progressively, making the material accessible even to those with little or no programming background. The book also explores important topics such as exception handling, file I/O, and basic data structures, providing a strong foundation for further computer science studies.”

Communication Design

• The Digital Storytelling Handbook, by Jordan Schugar & Chris Penny, Hannah Glatt, Autumn Hudson, Tu Le, Sarah Mangano, Victoria McQuiston, Pennsylvania Alliance for Design of Open Textbooks (2024).
  License: CC BY-NC
  “The Digital Storytelling Handbook is designed to provide an introduction to digital storytelling and its multifaceted applications in the higher education classroom space. This eTextbook gives storytellers practical tools to help them think about different reasons for making digital stories and different ways to think about using and incorporating digital stories into teaching, learning, and living. Co-authored with students, this eTextbook was written in the spirit of OER with the expectation that future readers and students have an opportunity to contribute a chapter, idea, approach, or methodology of the eTextbook’s basic content.”

Construction Management & Civil Engineering Technology

• Project Management for Construction (and Deconstruction) – Fundamental Concepts for Owners, Engineers, Architects and Builders, by Chris Hendrickson; Carl Haas; and Tung Au, University of Waterloo, Carnegie Mellon University (2024). License: CC BY-SA
  “This book develops a specific viewpoint in discussing the participants, the processes and the techniques of project management for construction. This viewpoint is that of owners who desire completion of projects in a timely, cost-effective fashion. Some profound implications for the objectives and methods of project management result from this perspective.”

English to Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) & Applied Linguistics

• Oral Communication for Non-Native Speakers of English, by Agata Guskaroska, Erik Goodale, Timothy Kochem, Monica Ghosh, Lily Compton, and Elena Cotos (2025). License: CC BY-NC-SA
  “This book is an essential instructional tool for developing oral communication skills in academic settings, specifically designed for international graduate students, teaching assistants, postdoctoral researchers, and those preparing to enter academia. The second edition introduces dedicated chapters on developing effective pronunciation, listening skills and speaking fluency. Through its wide array of interactive H5P activities, suitable for both classroom teaching and individual practice, learners can actively develop the skills needed for success in English-speaking academic environments.”

Gender and Sexuality Studies

• Introduction to Women’s & Gender Studies, by Colleen Lutz Clemens, Ph.D., Pennsylvania Alliance for Design of Open Textbooks (2023).
  License: CC BY-SA
  “Introduction to Women’s and Gender Studies (2023) is an e-Textbook designed to provide an introduction to the fields of Women’s Studies and Gender Studies for students taking introductory courses. The textbook touches on a variety of subjects including gender theories, feminisms, intersectionality, equity, and activism. Chapters contain questions to consider and list of suggested readings by theorists and activists. This multimedia e-Textbook incorporates videos and podcasts to create a rich introductory experience for students.”

Health Communication

• Communication in Practice: An Introductory Communication Textbook, by Jeremy Rose (2025). License: CC BY
  “This approachable and conversational textbook is intended for undergraduate communication courses. Dr. Jeremy Rose draws from an accomplished lecturing career to explore the fundamentals of communication with media examples and real world scenarios.” 

Hospitality Management 

• Food Preparation Lab Manual for FSHN 1150, by Iowa State University Department of Food Science and Human Nutrition, Iowa State University (2025). License: CC BY-NC-SA
  “This lab book is intended for use in both the lab and kitchen. Each section of the book contains learning objectives, lab problems to be solved, recipes, questions, and observation charts for the input of data.”

Nursing

• Human Reproduction: A Clinical Approach, by Dr. Hala Bastawros, M.D, Iowa State University (2023). License: CC BY-NC
  “This book is designed to provide a deep understanding of the biological and biomedical aspects of human reproduction, covering both basic reproductive biology and clinical applications.”

Student Success

• A Guide to Writing the Statement of Purpose for Graduate School Applications, by Erin Todey, Iowa State University (2025).
  License: CC BY-NC-SA
  “This book guides applicants through writing the statement of purpose (SoP) for graduate school applications. It discusses the conventions and expectations of the SoP and the writing process, and includes example SoPs written by students who have been accepted into a graduate program as models.”
• Library 1600: Introduction to College-Level Research, by Iowa State University Library Instruction Services (2021). License: CC BY-SA
  “You will learn how scholarly information is produced, organized, and accessed; how to construct and use effective search strategies in a variety of web tools and scholarly databases; how to choose finding tools appropriate to the type of information you need; critical thinking skills in the evaluation of resources; and best practices in the ethical use of information.”
  

City Tech OER team:
Anne Leonard, Interim OER Coordinator: aleonard@citytech.cuny.edu
Joshua Peach, Adjunct OER Librarian: jpeach@citytech.cuny.edu
Jo Thompson, Adjunct OER Librarian: jthompson@citytech.cuny.edu